The Anthem data breach revealed last week could affect up to 80 million people, and the investigation into the scope of the crime is just starting. Any breach that exposes data from millions of customers (or even thousands really) is bad, but the Anthem breach is actually worse than retail breaches like Target because of the type of information that was compromised.

The Anthem data breach revealed last week could affect up to 80 million people, and the investigation into the scope of the crime is just starting. Any breach that exposes data from millions of customers (or even thousands really) is bad, but the Anthem breach is actually worse than retail breaches like Target because of the type of information that was compromised.

Having your information stolen by a data breach can be a very frightening experience. Fortunately, even if your information has been compromised, there is no guarantee that it will be used maliciously. Luckily PCWorld offers a few tips to limit the potential for damage:

A data breach is the theft or accidental loss of confidential information such as credit card or bank details, personal health information (PHI), Personally Identifiable Information (PII), trade secrets of corporations or intellectual property. Data breaches can result from cyber attacks mounted by criminal hackers, cause-motivated hacktivists or nations, or from carelessness in the disposal or handling of information backups or systems, especially laptops and backup tapes.

Most data breaches are caused by mundane events such as employees losing, having stolen or simply unwittingly misusing corporate assets, a Forrester Research report has found.

After questioning over 7,000 IT executives and ordinary employees across North America and Europe, 31 percent cited simple loss or theft as the explanation for data breaches they had experienced, ahead of inadvertent misuse by an employee on 27 percent.

The very notion of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) makes many CIOs and IT managers nervous. BYOD represents a loss of control, additional security risks, and, of course, the unknown. Here are six things to prepare for:

Data breach transparency is in decline. Indeed, while businesses continue to experience large numbers of data breaches, the amount of information they divulge about those breaches has been decreasing.
That revelation comes via new research conducted by the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), which tracks publicly disclosed data breaches.

Neal O’Farrell, executive director of the nonprofit Identity Theft Council, spoke about the seriousness of mobile security as part of San Francisco Small Business Week, Cult Of Mac reported. “There were more data breaches than U.S. residents last year and more cases of identity theft than just about all other crimes combined,” O’Farrell said, adding that unless users are encrypting their devices, they are essentially asking for trouble.